The effect of organizational ethical climate on job satisfaction among nurses: the mediating role of trust in colleagues

Abstract

This study examines the effect of the ethical climate on job satisfaction in the nursing profession and how this effect occurs through trust in colleagues. A survey design was used to collect data from 407 nurses working in hospitals in Mersin City, Turkey. The study used self-report questionnaires to measure the ethical climate, job satisfaction, and trust. The data were analyzed using SPSS 22 software, which incorporated confirmatory factor analysis to assess construct validity and the bootstrap method to examine mediation effects. Ethical protocols were rigorously observed. The study clearly demonstrated a significant positive relationship between the ethical climate and job satisfaction. The trust variable fully mediates the relationship between the ethical climate and job satisfaction. The findings make a strong case for the importance of an ethical climate in nursing, synthesizing findings from the previous literature. The findings of this study demonstrate the necessity of assessing different attitudes and behaviors in order to promote expected behaviors in the unique and intense working environment of nurses. These behaviors may diverge from theoretical predictions. The results of this study also revealed that an ethical climate and positive work attitudes among nurses have a significant effect on job satisfaction, which is an important input for productivity.